Hate the Player, Love the Game?Trump as the Fulfillment of Politics

I may be the only person in the world who feels nothing, good or bad, for Donald Trump and his presidential campaign. I don’t love him; I don’t hate him; like every other candidate for president, he doesn’t hold my interest long enough to feel anything.

The reason is simple: Donald Trump is nothing new or exceptional in politics. He is just a sad, yet oh-so-typical archetype of political life. The empty slogans, the stirring up of every jingoistic fear, the mindless nationalism, the nauseating patriotism, the smugness and self-promotion – we see the same from every candidate in every election. Trump isn’t breaking the rules; he isn’t even changing them. This is the game. This is politics. Disgusted? You should be.

The goal of politics is not maintaining social order, nor instituting social change, nor protection of ancient institutions, nor safeguarding freedom or rights. It is simply a struggle for power, a ruthless and bloody battle to control the unholy violence of the state and wield it against others. Politics is about who can do what, to whom – nothing more. Political campaigns are a race to see who can stir up the most hatred, the most envy, the most fear, and the most anger among voters. The target might change, but the strategy is the same: stir up the worst emotions you can and direct them on an enemy: the Middle East, Big Business, Mexicans, Racists, the Rich…. the list of possible enemies is endless.

Of course, decent people wouldn’t have the stomach for constant anger toward one enemy after another. So to make it palatable much care is taken to dress up this ugly political monster in finer clothes. Suits, to give these professional hatemongers the air of respectability; debates, to make their emotionalism seem like scholarship; pundits discussing the hideous spectacle in serious tones. All of this is just pretense to distract us from the real game: in politics, you either convince enough people to hate the right enemy, or you lose.

This is why Ron Paul is such a hero to the liberty movement – there was no pretense. We respected him because he was respectable. While the other candidates taught their supporters to repeat slogans, Ron Paul convinced his to read books. While other candidates wanted us to slay dragons at home and on the other side of the world, Ron Paul reminded us what we had nearly forgotten – dragons aren’t real. And for a few years, many of us dared to believe that a message of “live and let live” could drown out the bloodcurling screams of “kill or be killed.” We know better now. Love cannot win a game designed for hate, and peace cannot win a game designed for violence.

During Ron Paul’s bid for the 2012 Republican Primary, Donald Trump remarked that “Ron Paul has no chance of winning an election.” Maybe he knew something the rest of us didn’t, because he has adopted the exact opposite of Paul’s strategy: instead of a genuine respectability without the hatred, Trump has opted for the hatred without any pretense of respectability. And, lo and behold, it’s working.

Which is probably why so many people can’t stand him. Trump is asking a very simple question: “if politics is about stirring up enough hatred for the right enemy, and the rest is only pretense, is the pretense necessary in the first place?” To the dismay of those toiling away making masks for politicians, the answer is apparently, “no.” Every day of Trump’s campaign reveals how deeply most of us have been lying to ourselves about politics. The truth is, politics is a vile game, and it takes a vile person to win it. Which is why voters will get to choose between Trump or Hillary, in the ultimate slime competition.

Maybe when this is all over, enough people will have realized the cruel joke being played on them election after election, and we can finally get down to the real business of undoing the harm that politics has done to the world.

Altar & Throne

Help Support Altar & Throne

Do you like what you're seeing here? Help support us to keep the content comin'!

Bitcoin:

Paypal:

Affiliate

Many of us here at Altar & Throne have had our horizons expanded through Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom, and believe in and endorse this product. Join today to get the education you've never received before!